RALEIGH, N.C. – Currently off to one of its best starts in program history and the owner of a No. 20 ranking in the latest Associated Press Top-25 poll, the NC State women’s basketball team (14-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) returns to action Thursday night at No. 13 North Carolina.

The Wolfpack and Tar Heels will tip off from Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill at 6 p.m. Thursday’s game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and can also be found on WKNC 88.1 FM with Patrick Kinas and Rachel Stockdale calling the action.

LAST GAME

A WIN ON THURSDAY WOULD...-Be the 791st win in program history -Be the 573rd win of Wes Moore’s head coaching career -Be the program’s 309th ACC win -Be NC State’s ninth straight win, a streak which was last achieved during the 2000-01 season -Be NC State’s 52nd win over UNC (97th meeting) -Be NC State’s 17th win at UNC (40th game) -Be NC State’s third win over a ranked foe this season (LSU, Syracuse) -Mark NC State’s first 2-0 start in league play since the 1999-00 season. -Mark NC State’s best start to a season since the 1997-98 team began the year 15-1

SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS-North Carolina enters Thursday’s game ranked 13th in the AP poll and 12th in the USA Today poll. -The Tar Heels have posted a record of 12-3 which includes an 0-1 mark in the ACC. -North Carolina is coming off a 79-70 home loss to then No. 8 Maryland on Jan. 5. -The Tar Heels are averaging 25.7 more points per game than their opponents this season. -North Carolina has the second best defense in the country, allowing opponents to shoot just 31.8 percent from the field. -Diamond DeShields (14.9 ppg), Allisha Gray (14.2), Stephanie Mavunga (13.8), and Xylina McDaniel (12.4) all average more than 10 points per game for the Tar Heels.

NC STATE - NORTH CAROLINA SERIES HISTORY-Thursday’s game will mark the 97th all-time meeting between NC State and North Carolina. -NC State holds a 51-45 edge in the all-time series. -The Wolfpack is 16-23 in 39 road games during the series. -North Carolina has won the last four meetings between the two teams. -NC State last defeated UNC on Feb. 21, 2011 in Raleigh, win­ning by a final score of 88-72 -NC State last defeated UNC in Chapel Hill on Feb. 21, 2010, winning 74-63.

RETURN TO THE TOP 25Following a Jan. 5 victory over then No. 20 Syracuse, NC State entered the Associated Press Top-25 rankings at No. 20. This marked the first time since March of 2007 that the Pack had been in the AP Top-25 poll.

One day later (Jan. 7), NC State was ranked No. 23 in the USA Today poll. This marked the first time since December of 2007 that the Pack had been in the USA Today poll.

A SEESAW AFFAIRNC State’s win over No. 20 Syracuse on Jan. 5 featured seven ties and 14 lead changes. The Wolfpack trailed by two points with 2:59 remaining in the contest but would put the game away with an 11-3 run down the stretch.

JUST A FRESHMAN?Freshman guard Miah Spencer had a very strong game for NC State in the win over No. 20 Syracuse. In addition to scoring the basket which put the Pack up for good, Spencer played a career-high 31 minutes in the stead of starting point guard Len’Nique Brown (foul trouble), scoring 12 points and achiev­ing a 4-6 success rate at the free-throw line.

STINGY DEFENSENC State did a solid job of holding the Syracuse offense in check during its Jan. 5 win. The Wolfpack allowed the Orange to shoot only 21-63 (33.3 percent) from the floor in the game, marking the second time this season State has held an oppo­nent at 33 percent or lower.

RPI UPDATEAs of games played Jan. 5, NC State’s RPI checked in at 23rd in the country. Five of NC State’s wins have come against teams ranked in the top 100 (St. Bonaventure, UCLA, Northwestern, LSU, Syracuse) and the Wolfpack’s only loss this season came at the hands of 11-4 Wright State, currently No. 78 in the rankings.

ACCURATE SHOOTINGAs of the most recent NCAA statistical rankings release, NC State senior center Markeisha Gatling is the holder of the best shooting percentage in the country at 70.1 percent from the field.

As a team, NC State’s mark of 47.9 percent from the field ranks eighth in the country and fourth in the ACC.

INCREDIBLE BALL MOVEMENTNC State has been moving the ball very well this season. The Wolfpack averages 19.3 assists per game, a mark which ranks 10th in the country and third in the ACC as of the most recent (Jan. 6) NCAA statistics release.